Channel clip



Feb. 8, 1966' L. N. HAVENER 3,233,297

CHANNEL CLIP Filed Feb. 26, 1962 INVEN TOR LESLIE N. HAVENER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,233,297 CHANNEL CLIP Leslie N. Havener, Euclid, Ohio, assignor t0 Erico Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,417 6 Claims. (Cl. 24-81) This invention relates as indicated to a channel clip, and more particularly to a sheet metal clamp particularly adapted to suspend lathers channel and the like from vertically depending rods or wires.

Clamps for the indicated purpose have been available for some time past and are frequently employed to suspend horizontally extending lathers channel from open web steel joists and the like in building construction. Fluorescent fixtures or false ceilings may then in turn be supported by such channels. While the vertically extending supporting rods have an ample margin of strength for any load likely to be imposed thereon, the clamps connecting the lathers channel to such rods have sometimes proved inadequate, tending to slip downwardly along the rods, so that the number of supporting rods must be unduly multiplied to provide a suflicient number of channel holding clamps. It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a channel clamp of such improved design that its strength and more particularly its holding ability with regard to the vertical supporting rods is very much improved so that a minimum number of such supporting rods and attendant elements need be employed. There is in consequence a substantial saving not only in material costs but also in installation labor.

A further object is to provide such clamp which is of inexpensive construction and capable of manufacture in a series of simple and rapid operations.

Still another object is to provide such clamp which may be manually installed with a high degree of precision and a minimum of time and effort.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a clamp embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear or outside View of such clamp as seen from the right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the clamp as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view illustrating the manner of mounting the clamp upon a vertical supporting rod or wire;

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the manner of securing a lathers channel therein;

FIG. 7 shows the installed clamp and channel as arranged when the load is imposed in a downward direction;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 1 but showing the rod and channel secured in the clamp; and

FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 but likewise showing the rod and channel secured in the clamp.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the channel clamp of the present invention comprises a flat strip of strong resilient material, ordinarily spring steel, which has been deformed to provide two straight rod gripping portions 1 and 2 disposed in planes at an angle slightly greater than normal to one another, interconnected in the embodiment shown by a short intervening ice web 3 centrally apertured at 4. Such aperture in flat web portion 3 is utilized to line up or index the clamp as it is formed in a series of successive operations in progressive dies. Webs 1 and 2 are apertured at 5 and 6 respectively to receive a vertical supporting rod or wire 7 passing therethrough and gripped thereby in a manner explained more in detail below.

A generally horizontal extension 8 of rod gripping portion 1 terminates in a slightly upturned lip 9 and is provided with a pair of downturned detents 10 and 11 in the respective side edges thereof. A centrally located detent 12 is struck down from extension 8 somewhat closer to lip 9 than such detents 1t) and 11. Extension 8 is connected to portion 1 by an upwardly projecting hump 13.

The lower rod clamping portion 2 is connected by downwardly projecting hump 14 with a somewhat shorter horizontally extending flange 15 having an upper rebent edge portion 16 adapted to hook over one lip of the channel which is to be supported from rod 7.

Referring now more specifically to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawing, the mode of employment of the new clamp of this invention will now be explained. Each of apertures 5 and 6 is elongated in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extent of the metal strip, being of generally rectangular configuration, with short narrow central extensions 17, 18 and 19, 29 respectively, such extensions consequently producing corresponding inwardly projecting corners or detents operative to engage and bite into supporting rod 7 when the clamp is mounted thereon as shown in FIG. 4. Portions 8 and 15 of the clamp may readily be manually squeezed toward one another to bring portions 1 and 2 somewhat more nearly toward parallelism and thereby enlarging the opposed areas of apertures 5 and 6 so that the clamp may readily be slid onto rod 7 to precisely desired position. Upon releasing the squeezing pressure, however, the spring clamp immediately tends to open to initial unstressed shape, but before reaching such condition the inner detents or corners afforded by extensions such as 17 and 18 in aperture 5 bite into and grip the respective sides of the rod with portions 1 and 2 now being disposed substantially normal to each other (see FIG. 8).

The lathers channel may now readily be inserted into the clamp as shown in FIG. 5, the lower lip 21 of the channel being hooked under the upper rebent edge portion 16 of the lower flange 15 of the clamp. The back 22 of the channel is pressed flat against rod 7, thereby slightly spreading apart the lower flange 15 and the upper extension 8 of the clamp, the upper lip 23 of the channel being engaged and secured behind the central downwardly projecting detent 12 and the two lateral prongs or detents 10 and 11 hearing down upon the digging into the upper surface of the upper lip portion 23 of the channel. The clamp is so shaped that, being of resilient material, it can accommodate a considerable variation in the extent of the channel side portions and if the channel should be exceptionally shallow, the upper lip thereof may actually engage behind prongs or detents 10 and 11 (detent 12 then being inoperative) and the lower lip 21 of the channel will still be secured beneath rebent portion 16 of the clamp. The spreading action of the channel upon the retaining clamp serves to enhance the biting action of the clamp upon the supporting rod 7 and prevents any relaxation of its hold. Likewise, the channel is itself resiliently actively clamped between the upper extension 8 and the lower flange 15 of the clamp as well as being mechanically secured in position against rod 7 by the upper detents and the lower rebent edge portion of the clamp.

It has been found desirable that when the load to be imposed upon the rod is in a downward direction, i.e. a weight is supported from the rod and the rod is supported 19 by the channel, the clamp be inverted in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7, Whereas when a load is to be supported from the channel which is in turn supported by the rod, then the FIG. 6 arrangement is preferred. The latter will be the more normal situation.

The provision of flat web portion 3 between angularly related straight back portions 1 and 2 is not essential but is advantageous in the larger sizes of the clamp of this invention as the clamp is then less bulky, does not project so far rearwardly, requires less material, and provides two lines of bending when mounting the clamp on a rod. The extensions 17, 18 in aperture 5 and 19, 20 in aperture 6 aiford four detents in each such aperture to grip rod 7 (opposed pairs of detents being disposed diagonally of the rod at approximately a 45 angle) and this arrange ment has resulted in improved gripping strength constituting an increase of as much as 10 to 1 over prior clamps employed for the same purpose. The humps 13 and 14 afford added resilience when portions 8 and 15 of the clamp are spread apart as the channel is rocked into place.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A clamp for securing a channel member to a rod or like elongated element comprising a resilient sheet metal member formed to general U-shape transversely of its plane, said sheet metal member having a back portion comprising two straight angularly related portions, and an end portion of one leg of such U folded back on itself internally or" such U to overlie and enclose one edge of such channel member, the other leg of such U being deformed to provide an inwardly projecting detent centrally of said other leg and a pair of detents projecting inwardly from the respective side edges of said other leg, said central detent being adapted to bear against and secure the other edge of such channel member and said pair of detents being adapted to bear against the outer surface of said other leg, an outwardly projecting humped portion connecting one said straight portion with one said leg and an outwardly projecting humped portion connecting the other said straight portion with the other said leg, said respective straight angularly related portions having aligned elongated apertures therein adapted to receive a rod passing therethrough at substantially a 45 angle thereto with such rod being held tightly against the back of such channel member, such apertures having central narrower extensions in their respective ends to afiord pairs of rod gripping detents therein.

2 A clamp for securing a channel member to a rod or like elongated element comprising a resilient sheet metal member formed to general U-shape transversely of its plane, said sheet metal member having a back portion comprising two straight angularly related portions, and an end portion of one leg of such U rebent in spaced relation to the body of said one leg to form a hook portion adapted to receive and hold a side edge portion of such channel member, the other leg of such U being deformed to provide an inwardly projecting portion adapted to bear against and secure the other side edge of such channel member, said straight portions being connected with their respective legs by outwardly projecting humped portions, and having aligned apertures in said respective straight angularly related portions of said clamp adapted to receive such elongated element passing therethrough, opposite sides of each such aperture thereby engaging and gripping such elongated element when the angular relationship of said angularly related portions is thus determined by insertion of such channel member in said clamp.

3. A resilient sheet metal clamp for securing a channel member to a rod or like elongated element comprising a pair of straight interconnected portions disposed at an angle slightly greater than normal to each other, each of said straight portions having extensions which are substantially parallel to each other, one of said extensions being rebent in spaced relation to the body of said one extension to form a hook portion adapted to receive one leg of such channel member, the other of said extensions being deformed to provide an inwardly projecting means adapted to bear against the outer surface of the other leg of such channel member, said other extension also being provided with means for retaining the other leg of such channel member, said straight portions having aligned apertures therein, such apertures being elongated in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said straight portions to facilitate insertion of such elongated elements therethrough while resiliently compressing said extensions toward one another, opposite sides of each of such apertures being adapted to engage and resiliently grip such elongated element diagonally of the latter upon release of said extensions. 7

4. The clamp of clainr3 wherein there are outwardly projecting humped portions connecting said extensions to their respective straight portions.

5. The clamp of claim 3 wherein at least one of such apertures is provided With a detent means in the edge thereof for gripping such elongated element when the opposite sides of such apertures are in engagement with such elongated element as aforesaid.

6. The clamp of claim 5 wherein said detent means comprises a central narrower extension in at least one end of such one elongated aperture which forms a pair of rod gripping detents therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,123,425 7/1938 Kelley 24243.12 2,631,809 3/1953 Jacobson 189-88 X 2,968,850 1/1961 Tinnerman 248l FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Examiner. 

1. A CLAMP FOR SECURING A CHANNEL MEMBER TO A ROD OR LIKE ELONGATED ELEMENT COMPRISING A RESILIENT SHEET METAL MEMBER FORMED TO GENERAL U-SHAPE TRANSVERSELY OF ITS PLANE, SAID SHEET METAL MEMBER HAVING A BACK PORTION COMPRISING TWO STRAIGHT ANGULARLY RELATED PORTIONS, AND AN END PORTION OF ONE LEG OF SUCH U FOLDED BACK ON ITSELF INTERNALLY OF SUCH U TO OVERLIE AND ENCLOSE ONE EDGE OF SUCH CHANNEL MEMBER, THE OTHER LEG OF SUCH U BEING DEFORMED TO PROVIDE AN INWARDLY PROJECTING DETENT CENTRALLY OF SAID OTHER LEG AND A PAIR OF DETENTS PROJECTING INWARDLY FROM THE RESPECTIVE SIDE EDGES OF SAID OTHER LEG, SAID CENTRAL DETENT BEING ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST AND SECURE THE OTHER EDGE OF SUCH CHANNEL MEMBER AND SAID PAIR OF DETENTS BEING ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID OTHER LEG, AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING HUMPED PORTION CONNECTING ONE SAID STRAIGHT PORTION WITH ONE SAID LEG AND AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING HUMPED PORTION CONNECTING THE OTHER SAID STRAIGHT PORTION WITH THE OTHER SAID LEG, SAID RESPECTIVE STRAIGHT ANGULARLY RELATED PORTIONS HAVING ALIGNED ELONGATED APERTURES THEREIN ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A ROD PASSING THERETHROUGH AT SUBSTANTIALLY A 45* ANGLE THERETO WITH SUCH ROD BEING HELD TIGHTLY AGAINST THE BACK OF SUCH CHANNEL MEMBER, SUCH APERTURES HAVING CENTRAL NARROW EXTENSIONS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ENDS TO AFFORD PAIRS OF ROD GRIPPING DETENTS THEREIN. 